Jasper52 fills your library with rare, lavishly bound books, June 22
Miniature portrait of Oliver Goldsmith from a lavishly bound 1831 biography of the man, est. $2,000-$2,500
NEW YORK – The fight for top lot status will be keen and fierce in Jasper52’s 15th-19th Century Antique Books Collection sale, which will be held on Wednesday, June 22 at 7 pm Eastern time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
The wide selection in the sale – more than 550 lots – would easily fill most home libraries and spill past their shelves. Choices include antique Bibles from multiple centuries, including an incunabula Latin Bible from 1489; another example on vellum, dating to 1567 and illustrated with 198 woodcuts; a Greek or Russian Orthodox version, exquisitely bound in a silver cover graced with enamel insets of Biblical scenes; and a decoratively bound gilt-edge Bible published in Boston in 1884, with illustrations by Gustave Dore.
1567 ‘Biblia Sacra’ with 198 woodcut illustrations, est. $2,500-$3,000
Books written by legendary names abound, issued as single or multiple volumes. Among them are a 25-volume set of the works of satirist Jonathan Swift, published in 1768; a 1678 three-volume publication of Livy’s history of Rome; a 1594 Italian translation of several writings by Albrecht Durer, combined in a single book; the works of Goethe in five volumes, issued in English in 1885 in Philadelphia; and a 1771 set of Plutarch’s Lives, translated into English from the original Greek.
1594 Italian single-volume translation of several books by artist Albrecht Durer, est. $8,000-$10,000
Would-be collectors can indulge in antique collections of plays and poetry as well. These include an 18th-century eight-volume set of Moliere, with text in French; a copy of Rev. John Mitford’s The Life of Oliver Goldsmith, decorated with a miniature portrait of the Irish-English author, poet and playwright; an 1824 edition titled The Poetical Works of Walter Scott; a poetry anthology in Latin, from 1616; and a circa-1890s three-volume set of the works of Shakespeare, edited by Charles Knight.
One of the woodcuts from the ‘Biblia Sacra,’ est. $2,500-$3,000
Particular standouts in the June 22 sale lineup include a 1567 Biblia Sacra, a vellum-bound Renaissance-era Bible with text in Latin. Petit Bernard, aka Bernard Salomon, provided the 198 woodcuts, with 115 illustrating scenes from the Old Testament and 83 from the New Testament. It is estimated at $2,500-$3,000.
An illustration from the 1594 Italian translation of Durer, est. $8,000-$10,000
Another unimpeachable prize is a 1594 release of several writings by German artist Albrect Durer, estimated at $8,000-$10,000. The book, which is an Italian translation, unites a series of books Durer wrote between 1523 and 1528 in one volume. It acts as a sort of anatomical reference for artists, with woodcut illustrations showing people of varying ages, sizes and sexes with accurate proportions. In the last book included between these covers, Durer discusses his theories on what he called “ideal beauty.”
Front cover of the lavishly-bound 1831 biography of Oliver Goldsmith, est. $2,000-$2,500
Rounding out the highlights is an 1831 copy of The Life of Oliver Goldsmith by Rev. John Mitford that has been given ultra-luxurious treatment. It sports a Cosway binding, named for Richard Cosway, an artist who gained fame for book bindings inset with miniature portraits on the front cover and sometimes the interior front cover as well. The inner front cover of this book features a miniature portrait of Goldsmith set in a gilt frame under glass. This fine antique book carries an estimate of $2,000-$2,500.
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